Looking to contribute(first article)

[Rhea47]

Looking to get my feet wet in contributing to OA. What would you suggest? A short article in the science encyclopedia? 
( my background is in biology and environmental science)

Any suggestion would be appreciated

[Drashner1]

Typically, members contribute in whatever area or on whatever subject interests them or that they feel inspired to write about.

Is there some aspect of the setting that particularly interests you or that you feel particularly qualified to write about based on your background or interests?

Todd

[Drashner1]

Thinking about this further, some common ways that new members may contribute to the project include (but are not limited to):

a) A new place (ranging in scale from a single structure or hab all the way up to a multi-star solar system) that they describe and detail out to some degree (with the option to add more later) and which they may or may not use as a 'sandbox' or touchstone for other contributions. These have tended to get rather long and involved in recent years, but don't have to be.

b) A new gadget or technology that they add to the setting. This can range from the OA equivalent of a screwdriver to an entire new type of space habitat or megastructure. We don't apply greater 'weight' or 'brownie points' for scale and are as likely to be impressed by something small and simple as something huge, complex, and powerful.

c) A new group or organization or culture. These can be religious, social, activity focused, whatever. Again, sheer size doesn't tend to impress us.

d) A new race or clade. Can be modified humans, provolves, cybernetic or software based minds, whatever. Xenosophonts as well, but we will warn you we set the bar higher for those in a deliberate effort to hold down the number of xenosophonts in the setting.

e) A review and expansion or correction of some existing element of the setting that falls within the author's interest, experience or expertise and which we are not presenting correctly/completely/as well as we could be.

With most such articles, especially the more complex ones, we generally suggest that you post an outline or summary before diving into the entire article just to make sure it doesn't run into issues with Canon and/or takes in all the details that may be impacted by it but which aren't obvious within the scope of the entire setting.

Hope this helps,

Todd

[stevebowers]

My degree was in environmental science, as well. I'm particularly keen on the speculative sciences of terraforming and exobiology; others on this site with biological backgrounds are interested in the concepts of provolution and genetic engineering in general.

[Rhea47]

Thanks for the advice.